History Repeats 2
by CaptainS10
Summary: When Holly goes missing, have fallen into the hands of an old enemy who has returned, its up to Artemis ii, Samantha, and Artemis iii save her. But can they do it without getting captured themselves?
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Samantha

"Hey, Shorty! Get back here!"  
Oh great, I thought, groaning inwardly, them again. This was my third week here at this school, and these boys had immediately decided to make me their favorite target. I had been nice about it for a while, laughed along with them and ignored them when it was appropriate.  
But I was starting to run out of patience. "Are you sure you don't want me to handle them?" he asked. "No," I said. "It's fine."  
I met Chris my first week of school here. He had been the one the teacher assigned to show me around, and we'd gotten to talking and just clicked as friends, like two puzzle pieces being snapped together. We'd been hanging out ever since.  
The boys had come up behind us now. We turned around.  
"What do you want now, Derek?" I demanded. "Can't you go find somebody else to drive insane?"  
"Ah, but you're my favorite," Derek said. "Yeah, well, its getting old," I said.  
"Oh, here that boys? Shorty has got a temper." He knelt down to my size. "What are you gonna do about it Shorty? Hmm? That's right, nothing."  
I gritted my teeth. I could beat the crap out of this punk, easy, but then I would get in trouble and Holly would be ticked. Or I could always have somebody else do it for me.  
I looked at Chris. "Now," I said, and took off running.

Ten minutes later Chris met me at the apple tree out back of the school. It was our secret place, where we always met up when we needed a place to meet where nobody could find us.  
"I think that took care of them," he said as he walked up to me.  
"You know you're going to get in trouble," I told him.  
He shrugged. "Better me than you, and besides, my parents don't care. I'll just have to deal with the teacher, or worst case the principle, and what's he going to do? Kick me out? I could really care less."  
"Its not you that matters," I said. "Its your parents."  
"They don't care either."  
"Thats what matters," I said.  
"But it doesn't matter," he corrected me.  
"What?" He grinned at me. "Oh, shut up," I muttered. The bell rang, and I sighed. "That's our cue. We should go."  
"We should, but are we going to?" "I am, and if I were you I would come too."  
He shrugged. "Okay."  
I rolled my eyes and started back towards the school.

That afternoon I stood by myself outside the school for an extra hour and waited on Holly to come pick me up. Usually Chris waited with me, but he had disappeared, and I had no idea where he was. Where could she be, I wondered.  
Finally, I got fed up and just decided to walk back to Fowl Manor, where we were staying. Holly had managed to work out a plan with her boss and now we were able to come stay with the Fowls at the manor.  
Whenever we wanted to.  
For however long we wanted to. That is, as long as we told him before we left.

When I finally got to the manor, it was past 4:30, and usually I was back there by five til 2:00. I was way late.  
And Holly wasn't there either. When I walked in the door, Artemis was out of the kitchen and in the hallway so fast it was a blur. "Where's Holly?" he demanded.  
I shook my head. "No idea. She didn't show to pick me up. That's why I'm so late, I ended up walking."  
"Oh," he said. "When was the last time you saw her?"  
"This morning, when she dropped me off to school. Why?"  
He didn't answer, just shook his head. I walked into the kitchen and sat down across from Artemis iii. He looked up when I came in. "Did you just get here?"  
"Yes," I admitted.  
He shook his head in amazement. "What?" I demanded. "I had to walk, and its a long way from there to the manor." He cocked his head. "Holly didn't show," I explained.  
"I wonder where she could be," he mused.  
"That seems to be the million dollar question today," I agreed. 


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Holly

"We're leaving, Artemis," I called out. "Wait!" Samantha yelled. "I'm coming!" She rushed down the stairs, backpack slung over one shoulder, hair flying wildly. I opened the door. "Go, go, go!" She ran out and jumped in the car, and I followed right after. I jumped in the driver's seat and hit the gas, making the car bounce forward. Sam clutched the arm rests tightly.  
We made it to the school ten minutes later, and Samantha swung the door open and jumped out of the car. "Bye, Holly," she called as she ran up the sidewalk to the school.  
"Bye, Sam," I said, then added as an afterthought, "Behave." She nodded without looking back.  
I sighed as I started the car up again and drove away. Now I had a whole list of things I needed to get done. I had better get started.

Time went by fast. By the time the time came around for me to go pick up Samantha, I was over halfway through the list. Grudgingly, I headed back towards the school.  
I got out of the car and pushed my way through the crowd of kids, looking for Samantha. I headed back towards the old apple tree behind the school, where she always waited for me when it was too crowded around the front.  
Samantha wasn't there. I turned to walk around the other side of the tree, and I tripped over tree root.  
But I never got the chance to hit the ground.  
Someone caught me. I felt the warm hands around me and pulled me up, and arms wrapped around me and pinned my arms to my sides. I tried to pull away, but I couldn't break free. I opened my mouth to demand to be let go of, when a hand covered it with something I could only guess was a rag of some kind. I tried to struggle, but I got the breath knocked out of me through a punch in the stomach. I gasped, breathing on deep through my mouth, trying to catch my breath, but that only seemed to make it harder. I realized to late what had happened.  
Everything went black. 


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Artemis ii

I was on Samantha as soon as I heard the door open.  
"Where's Holly?" I demanded.  
She shook her head. "No idea. She didn't show to pick me up. That's why I'm so late, I ended up walking."  
"Oh," I said. "When was the last time you saw her?"  
"This morning, when she dropped me off to school," she answered. "Why?"  
I didn't answer, I was too deep in thought. What could be taking her so long? I knew she had things she had to do today, I was the one who had asked her to do most of them. But she would at least went and got Samantha and took her with her while she finished the rest of the things she had to do,or at least called me and told me to pick her up.  
This had "problem" written all over it, in capital letters. I had a really bad feeling about all this. 


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Artemis iii

After Sam and I both finished our homework, we went up to my room to relax a while before my dad cooked dinner.  
For a while, we sat on my bed and played checkers. For some reason, I was terrible at it. I could have thought of the best strategy in the world, and I think she still would have beaten me. She was amazing at it.  
After playing seven games against her and losing all of them, I wanted to quit. I thought about asking if we could do something else, but I figured it would make me look like a sore loser, so I didn't. We played four more games before we actually quit because she said she was bored.  
"What's wrong?" I teased. "Winning over and over getting boring?"  
"Shut up, Mud Boy," she snapped, chucking a pillow at me.  
I caught it, then threw it back at her. "Whoa, somebody's cranky today. Wake up on the wrong side of the bed this morning or what?"  
She shook her head. "I'm just worried about Holly. She shouldn't have been gone for this long." She dodged, and it landed behind her.  
"I'm sure she's fine," I assured her. "She can take care of herself."  
"I know," she sighed. "But I still worry. I mean, what if something would happen to her? Then what would happen to me? Holly is the closest thing to family I've got."  
I nodded. I knew how she felt. If something were to happen to dad... My computer beeped, making both of us jumped. Sam got up and went over to it. "You've got email," she said. Before I could stop her, she clicked on it. "It's addressed to your father."  
I sighed. "Our addresses our similar. People always mess that up." I walked over and grabbed the laptop from her. "Let's take it to him."

We found him in his room, propped up on the bed with his computer in his lap.  
I stopped and shifted the computer to my other arm so I could shut the door.  
He looked up and smiled as we came in, but you could tell it was forced. The stress was written all over his face.  
That doesn't look good, I thought. "Someone sent me an email that was addressed to you," I told him. He sighed and reached for my computer. "Let me see." I handed it to him. He opened the email. Halfway through, he inhaled sharply. "Koboi," he breathed. Without looking up, he asked, "You didn't read this, did you?"  
"No," Sam and I said in union.  
"Good."  
"Why?" Samantha demanded. "Is it about Holly?"  
Dad bit his lip. "Sam, you-" She didn't let him finish. She snatched the computer out of his hands. "Sam!"  
She was already reading it though. It was too late. She gasped. She backed up, breathing hard, and at first I thought she was hyper-ventilating. She slammed the computer shut and threw it down. Dad stood up and went over to her, then knelt down and grabbed her shoulders. "Samantha, relax," he said softly. She ignored him. "Sam, listen. Just relax, okay? We'll get her back. She'll be fine. Hey, breathe, okay? Deep breaths."  
Sam shook her head. "We have to get her back! What are we waiting for? We have to leave!" She tried to pull away from him, but he held her fast. "Sam, rushing in there is not going to help her," he said. "I've been in situations like this before. We've got to be careful, or we'll all be in trouble. You've got to trust me."  
"We've got to get her back," she whispered.  
"I know. We will."  
She looked at him. "Promise?"  
"I promise," he said. "We will get her back." I looked at Samantha. She closed her eyes. It was easy to tell she was fighting back tears. "Hey, its okay," he said. He pulled her in and hugged her close, and she buried her head in his shoulder, her shoulders hitching gently as she cried.  
I walked over to them. "Dad, what's wrong?" I asked.  
He shook his head and pointed to the computer. Holly, he mouthed. I looked at the computer, but didn't move toward it. Sam's reaction to the email summed it up enough, I did not need exact words. Something bad had happened to Holly. Really bad. 


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Artemis iii

I looked at Dad. What are we going to do, I mouthed.  
Hold on, he mouthed back. Then he pulled back from Sam, who was still crying into his shoulder. "Sam," he said softly. She looked at him. "We're going to go get Holly back, but you have to listen to me, okay?" She nodded. "Anything. Whatever it takes. But we have to get her back."  
"We will. Trust me on that, we will get her back."  
"I trust you," she whispered.  
"Good," he said. He stood and put his hands on her shoulders, then gently guided her over beside me. "Now, you two go and pack some over-night bags. I have a feeling we will be gone for a while." Samantha wiped her eyes and nodded, and I laid my hand lightly on her shoulder. "Come on, Sam," I said. "I'll help you."

We walked down the hallway to Sam's room in silence. She didn't say anything, so I didn't either. I figured she probably didn't want to talk right now. I couldn't blame her. If it was me, I wouldn't either. She walked over and knelt down beside the closet, rummaging through it and trying to find a bag of some kind that would work.  
Then suddenly she sat up straight. "Say something," she blurted.  
"What?" I asked, startled.  
"I-I can't concentrate. Say something. Distract me. I need something to keep me distracted so I can't think."  
"Um..." I thought hard, but I couldn't come up with anything that seemed good enough. Then I had an idea.  
I got up and walked across the room. I dug through the different drawers until I found what I was looking for. The CD player. Sam had brought it with her from Haven. It ran strictly on solar energy, along with a whole case of CDs. I grabbed one out of the front of the case and popped it in to the player, then turned it up to full volume. For something so small, it was loud. It worked. Neither Sam or me could hear ourselves think. Slowly, the music worked its magic, and some of the tension in Sam's shoulders released, and her breathing relaxed, becoming deeper and easier. After a few minutes, she looked way better.  
She had found a bag now and was shoving random clothes in it, as well as singing the song. I frowned. "What is this?"  
She looked up. "Why? Don't like it?"  
"No."  
"Then you have terrible taste in music. I love this song. Rascal Flatts is awesome."  
"Is this country?" I asked.  
"Yes."  
I rolled my eyes. "No wonder I don't like it. I hate country music."  
"Like I said, you have terrible taste in music. Have you ever actually listened to country music? Like, sat down and listened to the lyrics? Most country songs are ballads. I can relate to some of them. Like this one." She gestured to the radio. "Listen."  
"Didn't I just say I hate country music?" I complained. "And besides, it's already halfway through the song."  
"Fine, then I'll restart it," she said, unmoved. I tried to stop her, but she beat me to the button. "Now," she commanded, "Listen."  
I sighed, but did as she said. I closed my eyes and focused closely on the music.  
You feel like a candle in a hurricane Just like a picture with a broken frame Alone and helpless like you've lost your fight But you'll be alright You'll be alright I opened my eyes and looked at her. She was watching me closely, waiting for my reaction. "What's your point?"  
"My point is, don't knock it to you try it. I bet that was the first time you've ever actually listened to country music, listened close enough to it to here the words and get the point of the song. Right?"  
"No.  
"Yes."  
"Oh, forget it," I snapped. "You're a sore loser," she said. "Don't be mad at me just because I was right and you weren't. Just admit it. You have never actually listened to country music before. That's why you don't like it, it's because you don't understand it."  
I ignored her. "I'm going to get my stuff," I said, and I walked out without looking back. 


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Holly

My eyes opened. At first, my brain was still practically sleeping, and I had no emotions, and I couldn't even keep up a continuous line of thought.  
A few things I realized in my muddled state of mind. One: I was tied to a chair. Two: I had absolutely no idea where I was, who had done this, or how I'd gotten here. Three: I wasn't alone. Standing in front of me on a raised podium were two people; a boy and a girl. They were standing with their backs to me, talking softly. I didn't know if it was just my imagination, but they both looked kind of familiar. I could have sworn I had seen them before somewhere. Then the boy looked over his shoulder at me and realized I was awake. He pointed at me and said something to the girl, and they both turned to face me. "Well, well," the girl said. "She finally awakes. Enjoy your sleep?"  
I ignored the question, answering it with one of my own. "Who are you?"  
The girl laughed softly. "What's wrong, Short? Do recognize me?"  
It was like a puzzle piece clicking into place. I suddenly realized why she looked so familiar. I inhaled sharply, holding my breath and praying silently that I wasn't right. "Opal?"  
"Well, that sure took you long enough," the girl said, rolling her eyes at my apparent stupidity. Then she bowed ever so slightly, and when she came back up she was grinning wickedly. "Opal Koboi, at your service. Back and better than ever."  
"That's not how I would put it," I muttered under my breath.  
"Excuse me? If you've got something to say, Short, say it."  
"I said, that's not how I would put it."  
"Then how exactly would you put it, Short?" Koboi asked.  
"Well," I said, "I would have probably used the words 'eviler' or 'more demonic' in place of better, but thats just me."  
Koboi giggled into her hand like a schoolgirl. "Why, thank you. Though you shouldn't really bother, flattery will get you nowhere."  
"It wasn't a compliment," I growled.  
"I'm going to pretend I didn't here that," she said.  
I rolled my eyes. She was hopelessly impeccable. Oh well, I thought, best to keep her talking, give Artemis more time to my disappearance together. Then I had another thought. How long had I been gone?  
It was as if Koboi had read my thoughts. "You haven't been gone that long," she said. "Only about twenty-four hours. That's enough for them to have known you were missing, for sure, though I made it positively sure earlier."  
"What?" Koboi shrugged, checking her nails. "I sent him an email. He knows- well, I almost said knows where you're at, but thats not what I meant- he knows who you're with. I didn't tell him where you were, that would be too easy. I want him to do a little work, though I'm sure he'll figure it out soon enough."  
"Even if you did, he wouldn't have come anyways," I said. "He would never have listened to you. He would have thought you were sending him on a wild goose 's not stupid."  
"Hmm... You're right about that, Short. Though I doubt he thought I was lying in that email. Even if he did think I was lying, he'd still come. He wouldn't take the chance with your life."  
"Humph," I muttered. I hated it when she was right. "How did you get here, anyways? I thought Artemis killed you."  
He did," Koboi admitted. "But I had a backup plan. You didn't seriously think I didn't think about what would happen if he somehow beat me? Well, guess what, I did, Short." She crossed her arms and looked at me. "This might be news to you, but I'm not stupid either."  
Are you sure about that, I wondered. But I didn't dare say it out loud. Keeping Koboi talking I could do okay, but saying something I knew would make her mad was another. I was still tied up. Even I wasn't that stupid. The worst thing you could do to make a genius mad: insult their intelligence. You do that, and it doesn't take a genius to know that you're screwed.  
"And besides," Koboi continued, "I know for a fact I killed your little pet genius too, and he came back as well, so I'm wondering why you act so surprised, like its some impossible feat I preformed." She cocked her head. "Or maybe you were hoping to fool me. I don't know what you were trying to achieve, but news flash to you, you can't fool me."  
Yeah, right, I thought. Maybe I can't, but I would bet anything Artemis can. "Alright, enough talking," Koboi said suddenly. She turned around. "Take her and lock her up until they get here, which if I'm right, and I usually am, should be soon." She looked back at me one last time. I could still see the hate there glowing in her eyes as it always was, but to me it seemed more controlled than usual, which worried me more than anything else. It meant that my chances of goading her into doing something stupid were very low. She had more patience and control now than before, which for me, was not a very good sign. The boy came over and untied me, taking care to keep me carefully restrained as he did so. I didn't bother fighting him, I figured Koboi had some kind of backup for if I did, so it was just a waste of time. I figured I might as well save my strength for a time when I actually needed it. I allowed myself to be lead down a hallway and pushed into a room. The lock clicked, and I heard the sound of the boy's footsteps fading down the hall. I walked over and sat down in the corner on a little cot. Then I laid down, closed my eyes, and settled in to wait. 


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Samantha

I watched silently as Artemis stalked out of the room and closed the door behind him.  
For a moment afterwards, I just stood there listening to the silence. But then my mind started to stray, and afraid of what it might land upon if I let it wander, I turned the radio back on and cranked the volume up high.  
I finished packing my bag, then flopped down on the bed and closed my eyes, trying to focus solely on the music. I struggled at it at first, but after a while it started to soothe me and I calmed down a bit. I laid there like that until I felt something brush my arm. I opened my eyes. Artemis the second was looking down at me. "You ready to leave?" he asked me softly. I nodded and stood up. He grabbed my bag and slung it over his shoulder, then came over and put his arm around me. "It'll be okay," he whispered into my ear. "We'll get her back." I looked up at him, and he smiled gently and squeezed my shoulder. I looked into his eyes, deep electric blue, and for the first time, I believed him.

His son was waiting for us in the car. I climbed in the back seat next to him, but I didn't say anything to him, instead turned and looked out the window.  
His dad looked at us in the mirror and said, "Buckle up and get comfortable. We've got a long ride ahead." I didn't ask where we were going. For some reason I had the feeling I didn't want to know. 


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Artemis III

We'd been in the car for going on four hours now. Samantha had passed out about a half an hour ago, but I held on.  
I switched up to the front seat when Dad stopped for gas. He threw me a sideways glance and sighed. "Buckle up." He always hated it when I sat in the front seat, but now I was legal so he didn't have an excuse to make me sit in the back. I would have sat up there before, but I wanted to try to talk to Samantha. And I had tried, but she had ignored me like I wasn't even there.  
I nodded and snapped myself in. He turned around in the seat, looked out the back windshield to make sure he was clear, turned the car around and pulled out.  
I waited until we were back on the road before I started asking questions. "Dad, where are we going?"  
"Where do you think? We're going to get Holly back."  
"I know. I meant where exactly are we going?"  
He glanced at me. "Why do you ask?"  
I shrugged. "I just wondered if we've been there before."  
He smacked the steering wheel with his fist. "It doesn't matter! We're not there to go sightseeing! This is a rescue mission, not a vacation!"  
"Whoa, calm down, you're going to wake Samantha up," I said. "I just asked."  
"No," he said through gritted teeth. "You've never been there."  
"But you have?"  
He nodded. "With Holly, her commander- well, her old commander- and Butler. We went there, though I'll admit it wasn't exactly the happiest trip in the world."  
"What do you mean, her old commander?" I asked.  
He muttered something under his breath that a figured was a swear word of some kind. "Yes, her old commander. It wasn't always Trouble."  
"Why is he her commander now, then?" I asked.  
Through gritted teeth, he said, "He died."  
"Oh," I said, startled. "Yeah, it was bad," he admitted. "It was pretty hard on Holly, but she got over it eventually."  
"What about you?" I asked. "Wasn't it hard on you, too?"  
"Yes, but not as much so as it was on her. Let's just say that Julius and I didn't get on too well. He wasn't very fond of me." He sighed.  
"Why?"  
He shrugged. "None of them were, in the beginning. Especially Holly and her commander." He smiled as if the memory amused him. "She had it in for me. I imagine it took all her self-restraint not to blast me with her Neutrino with the setting on high."  
"Well, what did you do to her?" I asked, dumbfounded. I'd never even seen the two of them fight, over anything. They were the best of friends, though lately I'd been starting to think that it might be starting to lead to something more.  
Dad suddenly looked uncomfortable. "Err... " He through a glance in the rear-view mirror at Samantha, and suddenly I understood. "No," I gasped. "Dad! Seriously?"  
His face turned bright red. "Yeah," he admitted. "I kidnaped her."  
"Why?" "I had my reasons," he said. I crossed my arms. "What did you do with her?"  
He flinched, and if it was possible, his face got even redder. "Did you ever wonder why Holly hates to be in the basement?"  
"Okay," I said, trying not to let the shock I felt enter my voice, "Then what did you do with her? Besides throw her in the basement, I mean. Surely you had a purpose."  
"Is there a point in asking me these questions? You got off topic fast."  
"Dad!"  
"Okay, okay! I'll tell you, but if you tell Sam, you'll regret it."  
"Tell me!" I demanded. I was running out of patience.  
He took a deep breath, then said,"I held her hostage for ransom." I struggled to keep my jaw from dropping, but he didn't seem to notice, instead continuing, "I'll admit, it worked better than I thought. I didn't actually think they'd pay it."  
"No wonder they hated you!" I said.  
He smiled wickedly at me. "I took one of their best officers. I probably would have wanted to kill me too."  
"What were you going to do with her if they didn't pay?" I asked as a thought occurred to me. I was horror- stricken at the thought, but curious in spite of myself.  
"Oh, that was the easy part," he said. "They were either going to pay up, or bio-bomb the manor, which, I may add, they did anyways after they paid." "Okay, what's a bio-bomb?" I asked, pronouncing it carefully to make sure it came out right. "Lets just say, its a certain-er- special type of bomb that the fairy folk use. It will wipe out anything living in a certain radius, of their choosing, of course."  
"How do they choose?" I asked.  
"They set up a time stop."  
I opened my mouth to ask what a 'time stop' is, then realized that was stupid. They couldn't have made it more obvious. It was in the name! "So," I asked, "They would have set up a time stop around the manor, then bio-bombed it? But wouldn't that have killed everyone, including Holly?"  
"Now you see why they waited until they got her out to use the bio-bomb. Which was a waste of a good bomb, because we made it out alive anyways." He shook his head. "I told them we would, but they didn't listen."  
"Why didn't they believe you?" "They thought they knew everything," he said. " 'There's no way to escape a time stop', they told me, when I told them I could. I proved them wrong. Taught them a lesson."  
"So, let me get this straight. If they wouldn't have paid the ransom, you would have left Holly there and let the bio-bomb kill her? That's just mean."  
He nodded. "That's what I said." Then, seeing the horrified look on my face, he tried to reassure me. "She wouldn't have felt any pain, she wouldn't even have known it happened. And besides, I probably wouldn't have actually left her there. I probably would have taken her with us, if she would have let me. The guilt would have killed me if I didn't. But they didn't know that, and they weren't willing to take the chance."  
"Well, you can't blame them," I said. "I wouldn't want to either." I stopped for a minute to digest all this information, then regrouped and returned to my original question. "So, where exactly are we going?"  
"Where the enemy will want us to go, unfortunately," he said. "Where Holly and I first met the person behind all this."  
"And who is that?"  
"I believe I've mentioned her once before."  
I thought hard, then, unsure, asked, "Opal?"  
He nodded. "She's had it in for Holly and I since we first met, heck, even before we met, though I believe that made it worse when we did meet."  
"How do you know its her who's behind this?" I asked.  
"She signed the email."  
"That doesn't mean anything," I said. "Anyone could sign 'Opal' at the bottom of a page."  
"Well, I'm not willing to take that chance, and I should think you wouldn't be either. If you're right, and its truly not Opal, then she won't be where we're going."  
"Fair enough."  
"What?" A voice asked. I looked back over my shoulder to see Samantha, sitting up in the seat and looking at us with a confused look on her face.  
Dad looked back at her in the mirror. "Hey, Sam. How long have you been awake?" She shrugged. "A few minutes. What's fair enough?"  
Dad and I exchanged a glance. It was brief, but for a moment our eyes connected and I got the message; Don't tell her.  
"Nothing," I told her. "He's a good debator, that's all."  
"I bet he couldn't win against me," she said, instantly brightening. "I'm a good debator."  
Dad smiled at her in the mirror. "Bring it on." She looked at me. "Give me a topic."  
"Err..." They had to throw me into the middle of it. I had no idea. I grabbed at the first idea I could think of off the top of my head. "Um... The Trojan War?" I said it more like a question than an answer, but she took it.  
Dad looked at her. "Pick a side."  
"Greeks," she said immediately.  
He laughed at her. "Okay," he said, "Bring it on."  
They spent the next two and half hours debating different angles of the Trojan War, and I spent the next two and a half hours trying to tune it out unsuccessfully. I was starting to wish that I had picked a subject that wore out quickly, or at least quicker than this one, when Dad, finally, laughed and threw his hands up in the air in surrender, which was kind of dangerous considering he was still driving.  
"Okay, okay, I surrender," he said, still laughing. "You're better at this than I thought. I can' t win!"  
"Shouldn't have let me pick first," she said. "I told you I was good at this."  
"Are you guys done?" I asked. "You're giving me a headache." She stuck her tongue out at me. "Two year old," I muttered.  
"Hey," Dad said, "Get it together, kids. I think we're here." 


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Samantha

I looked up as he said that. In front of us, was a _huge _building with the words KOBOI ENTERPRISES printed on the side of it.

I gulped. "And we're just supposed to waltz right in there?" I asked. For some reason, I had a feeling that was a bad idea.

He put the car in park and turned to look at me. "Don't worry. Koboi is a lot of things, but stupid is not one of them. She knows we're coming."

That was not exactly reassuring.

We got out of the car and walked up to the door, and Artemis reached for my hand. Under normal circumstances, I probably would have done something like freak out and slap him or something, but these weren't normal circumstances, and I understood what he was feeling. Neither of us knew what we were up against, or even where we were. We were walking in blindly.

Artemis knocked on the door, but nobody answered, so he tried the knob. It was unlocked. We walked in.

The inside was even bigger than the outside. It was _huge_, and that was a _huge_ understatement. Artemis laid his each of his hands on our shoulders. "Come on."

The end of the hallway lead into a wide open room with that had hallways leading of the walls on all sides.

"Oh, great," Artemis muttered. "How are we ever going to find Holly in a place this size?"

"We could split up," I suggested.

That earned me a looks from both of them that clearly meant _are you nuts?_

Maybe,

I thought.

Then a voice behind us said, "Or you could always ask for help."

I turned around. Artemis pushed us behind him, then stepped forward himself. "Opal," he said evenly.

"Oh, its you," she squealed happily. "You've grown, Fowl. I almost didn't recognize you." Her face darkened. "Almost."

I stepped forward. I knew I shouldn't, but I did. "Where's Holly?" I demanded.

Her eyebrows went up in surprise. "And who might you be?"

"Aw, Sam," I heard Artemis mutter under his breath, shaking his head to the ground. His son put his head in his hands.

Opal grinned. "Oh, I get it. So, _this_ is the famous Samantha. I think you gave Holly quite a scare."

I was too confused to be scared by the fact that she even knew who I was. "How do you know who I am?"

Opal shook her head. "They didn't tell you anything, did they?" She stepped forward. "I keep tabs on my enemies. I know exactly who your parents are, why you don't live with them, and when and why you moved in with Captain Short. I know everything that goes on around her household, as well as yours, Fowl." She looked at Artemis, who was still biting his lip and looking at the ground.

"You know, it would have been easier if you died the first time I tried to kill you, you and Captain Short both. Would have saved us all a bunch of trouble. But you stubbornly refused to die." She sighed.

"Oh, well. That just makes it more fun for me now. I can prolong it more. Hmm.." She cocked her head, considering. "Yeah, I like that idea. But for now.." She touched her ear, and only then did I notice she was wearing a headset. "Now."

It must have been some kind of signal, because people came running out from all sides. I stood there, confused, and then Artemis realized what happened.

A split second too late.

I was the closest, so he pushed me forward and yelled for us to run at the same time. I wasn't expecting it, so I tripped and would have fell if I hadn't been caught. I was lifted up and pulled to me feet, then pinned down tightly across the person's chest. When I looked up, I saw that the other two were both in a similar state.

_Oh, brother_, I thought.

"Take them away," said Opal. She smiled at Artemis wickedly. "See yah later, Fowl." She laughed and turned and started to walk away, and they started dragging us away.

Walking down the hallway, it was a tight fight, so I heard it when one of the guys holding the other two whispered to the one holding me, "You know what to do with the girl."

I wanted to shriek _WHAT? _at the top of my lungs, because that didn't sound good, but I refrained. I had a feeling it wouldn't do any good.

A few steps further down the hall, the others kept going while the guy that had a hold of me stopped beside a door. He pushed it open and shoved me inside.

"Stay there," he growled, and slammed the door shut. I listened helplessly as the lock clicked, then I sank down to the ground.

For a moment, I just sat there and cradled my head in my hands, lost in thought. _What could Opal possible want from me?_ I wondered.

I was so deep on thought I didn't even hear the lock click or the door open, and I didn't realize anyone had come in until I heard a familiar voice say my name. "Samantha."

I looked up. "Chris!" I jumped to my feet and started to move toward him, but then I had a thought and stepped back. "What are you don't here?"

He held up his hands. "I can explain."

I crossed my arms. "Explain what, Chris? There's really nothing to explain, that is, unless there's something you're not telling me."

He sighed. "Was it really that obvious?"

I didn't answer. "You're working for Opal, aren't you?" I whispered.

He flinched. "Sam," he whispered, stepping forward. I whimpered and stepped back. I couldn't help it, it was involuntary, but probably not uncalled for considering the circumstances. "Sam, it's okay. I brought you in here to offer you a deal. I'm not going to hurt you."

I wasn't convinced, but I was confused by something he said. "_You_ brought me in here?" I asked.

"Yeah, and keep your voice down about it. She doesn't know."

I nodded. "So what is this deal you want to offer me?" I asked.

He took a deep breath. "I can break you out of here," he said. "Tonight. I know what Opal is planning. She'll try to use you two against your parents. I won't let that happen. When I got involved in this, she never told me that you were going to be involved. I wouldn't have agreed. Then again, I wouldn't have ever agreed anyways if we weren't family. But-"

'Wait, what?" I cut him off. "You're _related _to her?"

"Um, we're distant cousins, yes."

I chewed the information over. "Nice," I mumbled under my breath. Then, louder, "So what's the catch?"

"I was getting to that," he said. "I can't break all of you out, at least not at once. I'd have to make trips, and I can't guarantee that you can all make it out with out us being caught."

I instantly understood what he was implying. "No," I said. "No way." He wanted Artemis and I to go, and leave Holly and his dad here? Was he nuts?

"Please, Sam? I'd come back for them, I swear."

I cocked my head, thinking. What should I do? What would Holly or Artemis do? I knew what Holly would do, she would probably be doing the same thing I was right now, thinking.

I closed my eyes and thought hard. Then I remembered something.

Last month was my birthday. Holly had given my two options on what I wanted to do, but I could only pick one or the other.

I had looked at her like she was nuts. "_I can't decide," _I told her. "_They both sound good."_

"Well, then, think," she had said. "Weigh out the pros and cons of each option. Consider all the possibilities."

Consider all of the possibilities. That's what I should do now.

I opened my eyes and looked at Chris. He was watching me closely. "How likely is it that both trips will succeed?" I asked.

"The first trip is practically guaranteed," he admitted. "Opal won't be expecting it. The second trip...I don't know. It could go either way."

I pondered this information. It wasn't much to go on. "Do I have to decide now?" I asked.

"No, you can decide tonight, if you need more time. Besides, you'll probably want to talk it over with them beforehand anyhow."

"Good, then I want to wait."

"Okay. I'll be there at midnight." I closed my eyes again. "...Sam." I opened my eyes. "I, uh, I mean... We're friends and all, but... I kinda have to lock you up now."

"Oh," I said. "Right. Lead the way, I guess."

He smiled and put his hands on my shoulders, gently guiding me towards the door.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Holly

I woke up to the sound of the door opening.

I hadn't even realized I fell asleep, but I must have, because suddenly I was aware that I didn't remember anything after being locked in here and sitting down on the cot. I must have been more tired than I thought.

Suddenly the door was yanked open and Artemis and his son were thrown in. Just as fast, the door was slammed shut and the lock clicked.

I jumped up. "Artemis!"

"Holly!" he said. He had to steady himself on the wall as I practically tackled him with a hug. He hugged me back for a moment, then gently unattached himself from me. He grabbed my arms, looking me over. "Are you okay?"

I nodded. "How did you get here?" He opened his mouth to answer, when suddenly I noticed something missing from this picture and cut him off. "Where's Samantha?"

"What?" He looked around. "They had her. She was right behind us."

His son cleared his throat. "They took her separately."

"What? Why?"

He shook his head. "I've got no idea, but they did it on purpose because I heard one of the guys say, 'You know what to do with the girl'. They stopped with her somewhere behind us."

I face-palmed. Artemis put his arm around my shoulders and pushed me down onto the bed. "It's okay. I'm sure if she was going to hurt her, she would have made a big show out of it."

"Then what do you think she did it for?" I asked, looking up at him, hoping for reassurance.

He bit his lip. "I don't know," he admitted.

I put my head back in my hands. "You're not helpful."

He pulled me closer, and I laid my head on his shoulder. Suddenly, I felt a little better about this whole situation. I was glad for him being here, as much as I would have preferred for him to be back at the manor, safe.

His son had came and sat down next to him. He sighed. "I wonder when we'll see her again," he mused softly.

I breathed in sharply. Artemis threw his son an icy look. "Not helping," he hissed.

"Sorry," he muttered. "Just wondering."

We sat there for a minute in silence. Then the door opened and Samantha stumbled in.

I practically had a heart attack. "Sam! Where in Frond's name were you?"

"More importantly," said Artemis, walking up behind me and putting his hands on my shoulders, "What did Opal want from you?"

Sam shook her head, looking shaken. "It wasn't Opal. It was Chris. He wanted to talk to me, but Opal couldn't know about it so he had to wait."

"What did he want?" Artemis asked.

"He said he can break us out of here, but he can only do it in trips. That's the catch. He can't get us all out at once. He said he can almost guarantee he can get the first group out without getting caught, but the second trip could go either way."

"What did you say?" I asked.

"I asked him if I could have more time to think about it, and he said I could decide later, just as long as I made a decision before midnight, because that's when he'll come. I said okay."

"We don't need that much time," I said. "We'll do it, and you two kids are the first trip."

"What?" Samantha stuttered. "No. Its you two she wants. You should go first."

I shook my head. "Absolutely not, Sam. You two are the important ones here."

Sam gave me an incredulous look.

"Um, what Holly means, Sam," said Artemis, stepping in before Sam could say anything, "Is that you are the most important thing in the world to her, just like my son is to me. She doesn't care what happens to her, but she wants you to be safe."

"Yeah, thats what it sounded like," Artemis mumbled, earning another icy look from his father.

"Fine, we'll go first," Sam conceded, "But if you don't make it out, I'm holding you personally responsible."

I shrugged, letting the comment bounce off me. Whatever it took to convince her.

"What about me? Don't I get a say in this?"

Artemis looked at his son. "No. You are going to go with Samantha. I want you to keep her safe."

"Yeah, and don't let her do anything stupid," I added.

"Hey," Sam protested. "I do_ not_ need protecting. And I'm not stupid, either," she added as an afterthought.

I glared at her. It was times like these when she tended to do stupid stuff.

"Okay," Artemis said. "Discussion over. You two will go first, we'll follow. Until then, lets not talk about it."


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Artemis iii

Sam and I sat against the wall and talked until he showed up, partly to pass the time, but mostly because we wanted to distract ourselves.

Finally, the time came.

There was a light knock on the door, a soft click as it was unlocked, and the door opened. Everyone looked up. Chris stood there in the opening, ready to go. "Coming?" he asked.

Both my dad and Holly looked at us, and I looked down at Sam. She nodded and stood up, and I followed suit. My father and Holly walked over to us.

Dad pulled me in for a hug. "We'll be fine.," he whispered in my ear. "Don't worry about us, and don't do anything stupid. Take care of Samantha. As soon as you guys are free, use the phone Sam has and call Butler, he'll come and pick you up. Okay?"

I pulled back and looked at him. "Okay."

I walked over to Sam. She grabbed my hand, and together we followed Chris silently out the door.

We crept quietly down the hallways, being painstakingly careful not to make any sounds. Once, Sam tripped and almost tackled me to the ground, and would have if I hadn't caught myself on the wall.

Unfortunately, it was not exactly quiet, so we had to stop to make sure no one had heard us, which put us five minutes behind. Of course, we technically weren't on a schedule, but the sooner we made it out of here, the better.

It seemed to take forever to travel through the winding hallways and find our way to the exit. It was one of those situations where you know something is going to happen, and the more you anticipate it and want it to happen, the longer it seems to take before it actually does happen.

Eventually, though, we made it. We came to the door, and we stopped as Chris turned to us.

"Do you know where to go from here?" he asked us.

Sam looked at me. "Give me your cell," I said to her. Her jaw went slack.

"I completely forgot about it," she murmured. She pulled it out of her pocket and gave it to me.

"Hold on a second," I said. I stepped aside and dialed the familiar number. Butler picked up on the second ring.

"Hello? Who is this?"

"Butler, its Artemis," I said. "We need you to come and get us."

"Where are you?"

"Ah.." I turned and looked around for the sign. "Some place called Koboi Enterprises," I said.

"What? What are you doing there?" he demanded. I explained about the situation with Holly and why we had come. "Oh," Butler said. "I should have known. That stupid pixie is harder to get rid of than your father himself."

"So, will you come?"

"Of course," he said. "I'll get there as soon as I can, but while I'm on my way, try to put as much distance between you guys and that place as possible." He paused. "Where's Holly and you dad?"

"They're still inside," I said. "They should be following us soon."

"Okay," said Butler. "You'd better get going. Bye, Artemis."

"Bye, Butler," I said. I hung up the phone. "Butler is on his way," I told Samantha. She nodded. "We're supposed to put as much distance between us and this place as possible."

"Can't argue with that," she said. "This place gives me the creeps. But what about Holly and Artemis?"

"They'll have to catch up," I said.

"I'm going to get them right now," Chris said. He hugged Samantha and nodded to me. "Good luck," he said. He turned and headed back in to the building.

I looked at Sam. "Let's get the heck out of here," I said.

She nodded in agreement. "Let's go."

We turned and started the long walk away from Koboi Enterprises. Neither of us looked back.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Artemis Fowl III

It was after three o'clock in the morning before Butler caught up with us. We'd probably walked over a mile and a half, stopping for breaks ever little while. We were doing exactly that when he pulled up.

We had stopped about twenty minutes before hand and ducked down behind a couple of bushes to rest for a few minutes. I told Samantha to go to sleep for a bit, and she readily agreed. She was asleep as soon as she put her head down.

I turned as soon as I heard the car coming. Being careful not to wake her, picked Samantha up and walked around where he would be able to see us.

Butler slid the car to a stop a few away, then came over and took Sam from my arms. "Is she okay?" he asked.

I nodded. "She is fine, just tired. We were just taking a break from walking, and she fell asleep."

He nodded and carried her around, strapping her in sideways in the backseat. I walked around and climbed in the front.

"Where's Artemis and Holly?" he asked..

"I don't know."

"No sign of them?"

I shook my head. "No. Nothing." I paused and Butler sighed. "Do you think they made it out okay?"

"I don't know. The only thing we can do is hope for the best."

"That's not thing that we can do," I said.

"That's the only thing you're going to do," Butler said sternly. "I know what you're thinking, Artemis, and I won't let that happen. They can take care of themselves. You're not going back in there after them. It's too dangerous."

I said nothing. That had been exactly what I was thinking.

"And furthermore," Butler continued, "If Holly and Artemis ever found out, they'd kill me."

"You're afraid of Dad?" I asked.

"More so Holly," he admitted. "But Artemis is bad too, if you make him too mad."

"Yeah," I said. "I'll admit it, she frightens me too."

"You've never seen her mad," Butler said. "She get this glint in her eyes, and trust me, its really creepy."

"Have you made her mad before, Butler?" I asked.

"Yes, but never that mad. I've only seen her that mad."

"Towards who?" I asked. Then I thought of something. "Dad?"

"I'd be willing to bet that she probably has been that mad at your father before," he said. "But I've never seen it."

"Oh," I said. "Then who?"

"I believe you just met her."

"Opal."

He nodded. "That pixie is nuts, and that is putting it nicely. Not that I should put it nicely, because I hate her as much as they do, but I can't think of any other words that would sum it up appropriately."

"Hmm..." I mused. "And why does she hate them so much?"

"They ruined her plans to take over the world," Butler said, a half smile on his face like the thought amused him. "Several times actually."

"I suppose thats what you meant by 'world crisis', huh?" I asked.

"Yes," he admitted. "She was the main source of the world crisis."

"So this is her revenge then?"

"Yes," he sighed. "This is another of her attempts at revenge on them."

"Why did she take so long, though?" I asked. "To try to get revenge, I mean."

"She was -and is still supposed to be- dead. Unfortunately, she must have found a way to come back."

I shook my head. "No. That's impossible. I tried it."

"Really?" Butler asked.

"Yes."

"Okay, then let me ask you this," he said. "Are you alive?"

"Yes," I said slowly, unsure. Where was he going with this?

"Then it's possible."

"I died?" I asked, dumbfounded.

"No," Butler said, dead serious. "Your father did."

"What?" I demanded. "Not possible."

"Yes, it is."

"No, it's not! Tested and scientifically proven! I even tried it!"

"The way you tried it was unsuccessful," Butler said.

"But that doesn't mean its impossible. If you don't believe me, ask your father."

"Fine, I will."

Butler shook his head, smiling slightly. "You do that, Artemis," he said. "You do that."


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Holly

I stood beside Artemis and watched Samantha and his son walk out of the room. The door closed, and I turned and went to sit back down on the cot.

He came and sat down beside me. "You okay?"

"I'm fine," I said. "I just..." I trailed off.

"Worried about them?" he asked. I nodded. He sighed and wrapped his arms around me, pulling me in close.

"Don't worry," he said. "They'll be fine."

"Maybe, but until I know for sure that they made it out, I'm still going to worry."

"This seems to be becoming a habit," he said. "Us worrying about them, I'm mean."

"I don't know where you get the 'us' from," I muttered. "You don't look worried at all."

He laughed softly. "No, I'm worried too, trust me. I'm just better at hiding it than you are."

I said nothing. I knew it was true. I was terrible at keeping my emotions in check for any amount of time. I could, but not very long. Like a few months ago, when his son kidnaped Samantha, I couldn't sit still for any amount of time, and I couldn't think straight. It took everything I had to keep from panicking.

For a while we sat there like that. I was content for a moment, sitting there in his arms, listening to his even breathing. I was so close I could even hear the beating of his heart. I leaned in closer, and for a moment his grip on me tightened, but then he pulled back.

"What?" I asked.

"Shh," he murmured. "I thought I heard something."

I stopped and listened. It took a moment, but then I heard it too.

Footsteps.

"Don't you think it is a little early for Chris to be back already?" he whispered.

"What do we do?" I whispered.

"We can't do anything," he said. "I don't know who it could be, but I'm willing to bet its not Chris."

"Maybe it's Opal," I suggested.

"At this hour?" he asked. "Highly unlikely." He stopped and listened again. The noise was still there, closer this time. It was definitely coming in our direction. "Lay down," he hissed.

"What?"

"Lay down!" he repeated. He grabbed my arm and, not roughly, but not exactly gently, pushed me down flat on the bed. Then he laid down beside me. "Close your eyes and pretend you're asleep," he muttered. "Now!"

I did as he said, curling up in a ball and closing my eyes. I felt the cot shift and knew that he had done the same.

I heard the door open and a voice say, "I told you so, Bill. They ain't even awake." He paused. "Yes, I'm sure. They're right here in front of my eyes. Don't you think I should be able to tell?" He paused again as he waited for an answer. "No, I am not an idiot! I know what I'm talking about! You know what, you think you can do my job better than I can, you come down here and do it. I'm telling Opal to send you to check on them next time, since you're so good at it." Then he slammed the door, clicked the lock back in place, and left.

I took a deep breath and opened my eyes. Artemis was propped on his elbow, looking at the door. Without looking at me, he said, "Stay there for a few minutes until I'm sure he's gone." I didn't say anything, just nodded slightly. I stayed put, but I kept my eyes open.

After a few minutes he looked down at me. "I think we're good. You okay?"

I nodded. He laid back down beside me, moving over closer so our faces were just inches apart. He leaned in and rested his forehead against mine. Our eyes met. He reached over and wrapped his arm around my waist, pulling us in together. I laid my head on his chest. "Go to sleep, Holly," he whispered. "I'll wake you up when he gets here." I nodded, and snuggled in closer to him, until my head rested on his shoulder.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Holly

"Holly."

My eyes flickered. "Artemis?" I croaked.

"Shh. Yeah, it's me. We need to go. He's here." I looked up at him. He was looking down at me. "You awake?"

I nodded, then removed my head from his shoulder and sat up. He helped me to my feet, then turned to face the door, where Chris was standing there waiting. "Did they make it out okay?" I asked him.

He nodded, then put his finger to his lips and motioned for us to follow him. I looked at Artemis. He smiled reassuringly and took my hand, and we followed Chris out of the room.

We crept silently down the hallways, retracing the steps to the exit where Sam and Artemis had exited from earlier.

It seemed to take forever, and every little sound, no matter how small, made me jump. I couldn't help it, I was just so on edge. I just wanted this all to be over.

Finally, we made it to the last corridor that would lead us to the end of our journey. As we made the last turn, I let the tension in my shoulder release slightly and I allowed myself to relax a little.

Big mistake.

We rounded the last corner, and Chris stepped back out of the way. "Go," he said. He walked over and pushed open the door.

"Thank you," Artemis said. Chris just nodded in reply.

We walked outside into the cool night air. I took a deep breath.

"You know," Artemis said, "For being such a horrid place on the inside, it is truly beautiful on the outside."

"Glad you enjoyed the view," A voice from seemingly nowhere said. "It will be your last for a while, if ever."

I tensed up. I recognized the voice, and I knew Artemis did too. But he didn't seem nearly as nervous about hearing it again as I was.

"Opal," he said calmly. "Why don't you come out from where ever you're hiding, and we'll talk about this."

"Oh, sounds good," she replied, still hiding. "We will, just as soon as you're back in my grasp. Get them!"

People shot out from all sides.

I pulled away from Artemis, and launched a roundhouse kick at they closest one, sending him flying backwards into another, but it didn't do much good. There was still too many of them. We were surrounded.

We tried to fight them off, Artemis even helped a little bit, but eventually we were overwhelmed and caught. Two of them grabbed my arms and held them, while another forced me to my knees. I fought with them the whole time, but the only thing that I got for my trouble was a busted lip. I spat blood on the ground as Opal walked up in front of us.

"Well, well," she said, grinning smugly, "Look who it is. Trying to escape, I presume. Like my little army?"

I growled in response. Artemis threw me a warning glance, but I payed him no attention. "Where's the kids?" I demanded.

"Oh, your little brats are fine," Opal said with a dismissive wave of her hand. "We didn't come all the way out here to catch _them_. You two are the important prisoners here. Sure, they'd be useful, but I can always get on torturing you without them." She smiled evilly. "Besides, if I need them, I already know where they're going. I can track them down and bring them back here if I need to."

I opened my mouth to say something that probably would have gotten me a black eye to go with my fat lip, or maybe get my jaw broken, but Artemis cut me off. "You have no idea where they're going. I gave Artemis specific directions to give to Butler. They could be on the other side of the world tomorrow for all you know."

Opal looked at him, her head cocked thoughtfully. "Touché," she said to him. "Your boyfriend is correct," she said to me. "I honestly don't know where the little brats are, and I could care less. But be warned, just because I don't know their current location doesn't mean I cannot find it out for the future. So if I were you, I wouldn't press luck." I looked up at her, and our eyes met. The same look that I imagined she saw in my eyes I saw in hers.

Complete and total hatred.

Unfortunately, it didn't faze her the slightest bit. In fact, she smiled maliciously at me. My hatred was amusing to her.

Probably because I was helpless to do anything about or with it and she knew it.

"Take them away," she said. "They'll need their rest. Tomorrow's a big day."

"The day when I will finally get my revenge."


	15. Chapter 15

**Okay, sorry for the long wait! This is the last part for History Repeats 2, so don't be looking for an update on it, but if it's liked a lot I might keep it going and write a History Repeats 3. Anyways, there's a few unexpected surprises in this part, and a small adult reference at the end but its not descriptive. Please R&R!**

Chapter 15

Sam

I woke up in a bed I didn't recognize. I looked around. Artemis was sleeping soundly beside me, but Butler was nowhere to be seen. I sighed and laid back down. He wouldn't have left us alone if it wasn't safe. We must have gotten safely away from Koboi Enterprises, then.

The thought made me sit bolt upright in the bed. We had gotten safely away, but where was Holly and Artemis?

"Artemis," I whispered, shaking the boy awake. "Artemis, get up."

"What?" He groaned and sat up. "Sam. What's wrong?"

"Holly and your father aren't here," I said.

"Relax," he said. "I'm sure they're fine. They're probably just running a little behind us."

I pointed to the clock on the nightstand beside us, which read 5:27 a.m. "When we made it out, it was almost two," I said. "They should be here by now."

"Okay, okay. Don't panic." He looked around. "Where's Butler?"

I shook my head. "I don't know. He wasn't here when I woke up."

"Well then, let's call him," he said, and pulled out the cell phone that I had given him the night before. He opened it and dialed the number in, then put the phone to his ear. He waited for a few seconds as it started to ring.

We both about jumped out of our skins when a loud ringing noise came from the other side of the room. We looked at each other, and Artemis walked over to investigate.

He sighed and held up a cell phone and a piece of paper. It was Butler's cell phone, I realized, and the paper had Butler's handwriting on it. He ended the call, and immediately the ringing noise stopped.

Artemis walked over and handed the paper to me. It was a note from Butler. He sat down on the bed beside me and read it out loud from over my shoulder.

_"Samantha and Artemis Jr,_

_I've gone out to look for Holly and Artemis Senior. I'll be back soon. Stay put until I get back, and try not to get into any trouble,_

_Butler."_

I bit my lip. Artemis squeezed my shoulder reassuringly. "You okay?" he asked.

I nodded. "Just worried. What if they didn't make it out and that's why they're not here?"

"Well, that's where Dad's genius brain will come in handy," Artemis said. "I hear he comes up with some seriously good plans sometimes."

"More like seriously dangerous," I muttered.

"Do you want something to distract you?" he asked.

"Hmm… Sure," I muttered._ Hopefully that will keep me from worrying about Holly_, I thought.

Artemis thought about it for a minute. "You want to hear a story?"

"Just something," I said. "I don't care what."

"Oh, I've got one you'll like," he said, a grin suddenly appearing on his face. "Want to know how Holly and Dad met? I'm not supposed to tell you, but hey.." He trailed off, and I sat up straighter and nodded. Now I was interested. "Okay," he said. "Don't laugh, cause its kind of ironic, but…"

He opened his mouth to tell me, but the door opened and Butler came in. As soon as I saw who it was, I tilted my head, trying to see around him to look for Holly.

Butler saw me and shook his head. "They're not with me," he said. "I couldn't find them."

My face fell. "Oh."

Artemis squeezed my shoulder. I'll tell you later, he mouthed. I nodded. "Where do you think they could be?" he asked him.

"Honestly, Artemis, I went back the way we came and completely circled around Koboi Enterprises. I don't think they made it out, otherwise I would have found them."

I bit my lip and looked down at the bed, tears stinging at my eyes. They hadn't made it out. But why? Had Chris betrayed us? Or, just by some stroke of bad luck, Opal managed to catch them. Or maybe she had known all along.

There was so many possibilities, but sitting here thinking about them wasn't going to get them back.

I jumped up off the bed. "Then what are we waiting for? We can't leave them there! That pixie is a devil! We have to go get them!"

"Sam," Artemis said. "You said the same thing when it was just Holly. We cannot just rush in there."

"I'm surprised you don't agree," I snapped. "After all, your father's in there too. Don't you care?"

"Of course I care! I'm just not stupid!"

Butler stepped in. "Hey, you two. No bickering."

I shut my mouth, but Artemis snapped at him. "Stay out of this."

"You two are just like them," Butler said, ignoring the comment. "One of you will say the wrong thing, and the other will snap on them." He looked at me. "I'm not surprised at all by you. Holly raised you, and usually she was the impulsive and snappy one."

Of course, I had a snappy remark on the tip of my tongue for that, but I held it back. I closed my eyes and took a few deep breaths. Meanwhile, Butler was still talking.

"Neither of you are stupid, either, Artemis. Samantha is just upset. When Holly gets upset she has attendency to not think rationally either." He caught me looking at him and said gently, "Don't be offended, but its true. Barging in there is not rational thinking. It doesn't mean you're stupid," he threw a glance at Artemis as he said this, "It just means that you think with your heart, not your head. You have attendency to act on impulse, without thinking about it before hand. That can be good, but it can also be bad. In this case it would be bad. Very bad."

I nodded. "But we still have to get them back."

"And we will," he promised. "But not right now. Holly is with the person with person with the best chance of getting them out of there. The best thing to do right now would be this: give them a few days to get out of there on their own. In that time, we can work on a plan, in case they don't show. Then we can try to break them out."

"A few days," I echoed numbly. He nodded.

"A few days. Then we'll go after them."

"Promise?"

"I promise," Butler said.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

Artemis II

Opal had the guards carry us back to the room that we had previously been in. I was thrown in first. For a moment I thought that Holly wasn't coming in, but then they threw her in next to me, literally. She went flying threw the air into me, sending us both flying backwards. Luckily, the cot was behind us and we landed on it.

"Jerks," she muttered. I shook my head. "Did you have to make them mad?"

"He deserved it," she growled. "I guarantee his eye will be black by morning."

I couldn't hold back a laugh at that. I curled my arms around her and pulled her in, holding her tight to my chest. She didn't resist. I leaned backwards, laying her down on the bed beside me. She laid her head down on my chest. I leaned forward, aiming to kiss her on the forehead, but she lifted her head and it turned it into a kiss on the mouth. Holly was surprised, she hasn't realized what I was doing and was just going to ask me a question when suddenly my lips were pressing into hers. I was surprised myself because I hadn't expected her to lift her head up.

Not that the surprise really meant anything, as neither of us pulled back. In fact, I think it was what kept us from pulling back as long as we did.

When we finally did pull back, Holly looked up at me, a slight smile on her face. "Why did you do that?"

I leaned in, my lips gracing her neck as I worked my way down. "Do I need a reason?"

"A reason would be nice."

"Because I wanted to. Is that reason enough?"

"No," she said. "But I suppose I'll take it anyways."

"Hmm…" I said against her skin. "Good." I worked my way back up her neck and across her jawline, finally making my way back to her mouth. I moved up and kissed her temples, her forehead, and the tip of her nose. I kissed her one last time on the lips, then sighed and pulled her into my chest. "Go to bed," I whispered. "We'll need all our strength to get through whatever Opal has planned for us tomorrow."

She nodded. "Okay, Artemis." Then she leaned in closer and buried her face in my neck, using my shoulder as a pillow. Soon after, she was breathing deeply and I knew she was sleeping.

_Now it's about time I take my own advice_, I thought. Then I sighed, laid my head back and closed my eyes.


	17. Chapter 17

**Sorry this chapter is in third person, I just don't do bad guys! And this chapter features one of those unexpected surprises…so yeah fair warning. Don't freak on me. **

Chapter 17

Opal ( from third person)

Opal watched the two prisoners on the monitors in disbelief. They were here, being held captive against their wills, and yet they were down there practically making out in the cell. Fowl had to be smart enough to know that she was watching them. He had to.

Apparently he just didn't care.

It didn't matter to her anyways. Let them do what they wanted tonight. Tomorrow she would have her revenge. All the waiting and patient planning would be worth it.

"Mommy?"

Opal turned around. Her daughter was standing in the doorway. As much as she tried to hide it, she loved the girl. Just standing here looking at her brought a surge of love from her heart.

And she hated it.

Loving someone could be considered a weakness. It could make them a weakness. Because when you love someone, you care about what happens to them.

One of the few people she ever loved, ever cared about, was standing right here in front of her.

But as much as she hated the fact that she loved her, she couldn't bring herself to hate her, either.

"Off to bed," Opal said, ushering the girl out of the room. "Go on now."

"But-" the girl tried to protest, but Opal cut her off.

"No buts. Just beds. Now go."

The girl sighed and nodded. Then she padded off down the hall and into her room.

It was Opal's turn to sigh. She rubbed her temples. She was going to have to do something with her. She couldn't have the girl getting into the way of her revenge on Fowl and Short. She walked over and picked up a phone. Time to call in one of those favors her sister owed her


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

Sam

I didn't talk to Artemis after that. I gave him silent treatment for a whole day. The only exceptions were when we were planning, and even then I talked to him as little as possible.

I was proud of myself. Usually I was terrible at holding grudges. Maybe it just depended on who I was trying to hold a grudge against.

At the end of the night that went without me talking him, he cornered me alone. Butler was out doing his rounds, searching the surrounding areas for Holly and Artemis's father.

I was walking back up from ordering dinner for us when he came around the corner from behind me, spun me around, and pinned me against the wall. I opened my mouth to scream, not knowing who it was, but he put his hand over my mouth. Him being taller than me, the only thing I could see was his black shirt.

He leaned in, his lips an inch from my ear. "Sam," he whispered. "Relax. It's just me. Artemis."

"You scared the crap out me, you stupid Mud Boy!" I shouted, pushing him back. "Get off me!" I turned and took off down the hallway.

He caught up with me easily, grabbing my arm and spinning me around. "Sam. Why won't you talk to me? Did I make you mad?"

"Well," I said, pulling away and crossing my arms across my chest, "Isn't that a stupid question."

"Sam," Artemis groaned. "I never said that you were stupid, I just said that I wasn't stupid."

"Not directly, but you implied it. And it doesn't matter, because I know what you meant."

"Sam, I didn't mean it that way, I swear. I was just a little upset. You were too. You cannot hold that against me." I didn't say anything, And he stepped forward and put his hand on my shoulder. "Sam. Forgive me. Please."

I nodded, and he pulled me in hugged me. "Artemis?" I said in a low voice. He looked at me. "Don't do that again. You really scared me when you came around the corner."

He nodded. "Sorry."

Then a voice from behind us said, "Well, well, glad to see you two made up."

Artemis looked over his shoulder and sighed. "Hello, Butler." I pulled back and smiled at him slightly, trying not to concentrate on how red me cheeks were. I was blushing, bad.

"Still no sign of them?" Artemis asked.

Butler shook his head. "No. They must still be in there."

"Then it's time to put our plan into action!" I said.

Butler nodded. "Tomorrow," he said. "You'll want to rest up beforehand." My stomach growled, and Butler looked at me, a half smile twitching on his lips. "And eat something first, apparently. Didn't you two eat anything for dinner?"

We both shook our heads, and I said, "I just went down and ordered it. It should be here soon."

"Okay then, into the room," Butler said, ushering us inside. "I'll go down and check on it."

"I can go," I said.

Butler shook his head. "I want you two in the room and out of sight. Opal could be after you. And if I lose you, Holly and Artemis will kill me."

"She's walking downstairs, Butler," Artemis said, stepping forward and putting a hand on my shoulder. "Not exactly a dangerous mission, but if it helps, I'll go with her."

"Fine," Butler said. "But you've got ten minutes. If you're not back by then I'm coming after you."

"That's should be plenty of time." He gestured to the stairs. "Ladies first."

I rolled my eyes and started walking down the steps. But as I came around the corner I decided maybe it wasn't the best time for 'ladies first' , as someone jumped out and tried to grab me.

I yelped and jumped back, knocking Artemis down, as he had come around behind me. I backed up hurriedly and helped him to his feet, just as another one showed up. The newcomer grabbed my arm and twisted, and my knees buckled beneath me as I cried out in pain.

Artemis kicked the person in the ribs, and he dropped me and stumbled back, drawing a gun as he went. A neutrino. "Artemis!" I yelled.

The boy had his back turned, engaged in a fight with the other guy. "Sam, I'm kind of busy," he said.

"But he's got a gun! What do we do?"

"Wait!"

"What?"

"I said, wait!" He dodged another strike from the guy, then ducked low and punched him in the stomach. The guy stumbled backwards into the wall, winded. "Now run! Now!" He grabbed my hand and started tugging me along down the hallway.

We ran as fast as our feet could carry us towards the exit.


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

Holly

I woke up to a guard leaning over me.

He was shaking me roughly, squeezing my arm tight. His nails were digging into my flesh.

Suddenly, I heard Artemis hiss, "Stop it!" The hand on my arm was smacked away, and replaced with his own. "Holly," he breathed, right by my ear. He was so close I could practically feel his lips moving as he spoke. "Wake up."

I opened my eyes. "Artemis," I croaked.

"We have to go, Holly. Opal sent the guards."

"Oh," I said, and sat up.

He smiled down gently at me. "Yeah, best to go see what she wants," he said. I nodded, and he put a hand out to help me up. Once I was on my feet, he twirled me around so that he had his arm around my shoulders. Then he looked up at the guard, and his face took on that same old, cold look I remembered from years before. "Well?" he demanded. "What are you waiting on? Christmas? Open the door!"

There was six more guards waiting on us outside the door. Apparently, Opal didn't want us having at least the slightest chance of escaping, so she wasn't taking chances. I made a face and looked at Artemis. His eyes seemed to say, Its okay. She's still the same old, stupid Opal. She'll make a mistake, and we can get out of here.

Yeah, right, I thought. But out loud I said nothing.

The guards led us down a few hallways and around a couple of corners. They finally stopped in front of one of the doors. Artemis and I were pushed inside, separated, and pulled in different directions. I was pushed roughly back against the wall and pinned there, my right arm out to the side. I felt a sharp pinch in my forearm, and suddenly my knees buckled, and I fell unconsciousness.

When I woke up, I was tied to a chair. I was still in the same room, but all of the guards had disappeared, leaving me alone with Artemis. He was sitting in a chair a few feet away from me, but he didn't seem to be asleep. In fact, when I turned to look at him, he almost jumped out of his skin when he realized I was awake.

"Holly! Oh, thank god. Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, I think," I said, a little shocked. "W-what happened?"

"Opal had us brought in here and separated, remember?" I nodded. "Well, I think you fainted."

I shook my head. "No. I think they knocked me out with something. I remember being brought in here, being separated and pinned against the wall, then a sharp pain in my arm and nothing after that."

"The pain was probably a needle," Artemis said. "I'd be willing to bet that they injected you with something."

"Right again, Fowl," a voice said. A voice that made me tremble with hatred and clench my fists against the urge to start swinging wildly.

Opal stepped from the shadows in the corner of the room. Noticing the look on my face, she grinned evilly. "Hello, Captain Short."

I growled in response. That was the best hello she was getting from me.

Artemis, on the other hand, just sighed. "What do you want, Opal?"

"Oh, as if you don't know. Come on, Fowl, I know you're smarter than that. What do you think I want?"

"Revenge," Artemis and I said in union.

"Of course, I knew you could get it," beamed Opal. Then her features twisted into an ugly mask of hatred. "Yes, I will have my revenge, and this time, I won't fail. I will not be thwarted by you two again." She walked over to the corner that she came from and bent over to pick something up. It was a little black remote. It looked like a TV remote. "Enjoy the show."

Then she walked out of the room, leaving us alone.

"Okay, that pixie has finally cracked," I said. "How are we supposed to watch anything when there's no TV in here?"

"Holly," Artemis said, his voice low. "Look."

I followed his gaze. The wall on the opposite side of the room was disappearing, pulling back. It was replaced by a giant view screen. "Oh," I croaked. "Spoke too soon."

"Yeah," Artemis said. "Way too soon."

"Let the show begin," Opal's voice boomed from nowhere, probably from some hidden loudspeakers on the ceiling.

The lights shut off, and the screen flickered to life.


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

Holly

The screen flickered to life. A room appeared, but you couldn't see much of it. A corner was all you could see, though I guessed there was probably a doorway around it. I realized I was right when I heard footsteps coming from the other side, around the corner.

Then Sam came around the corner.

I gasped. "Sam!" I started struggling.

"Holly," Artemis said softly. "Relax."

"But Sam-"

"I know, Holly. She wouldn't be showing us this if something wasn't about to happen. But you need to stay calm. Don't go to pieces for Opal's entertainment. That's what she wants. Just watch."

I nodded, taking a few deep breaths to calm myself down. "Okay," I said. I turned back to the screen.

Sam stepped around the doorway, then jumped back with a yelp. She fell backwards into Artemis's son, who had come around behind her. He hit the ground.

She hurriedly backed up and helped him to his feet. Just as someone appeared in our line of sight.

He grabbed Sam's arm and twisted, bringing the girl to her knees. She cried out in pain. I bit my lip, fighting as hard as I could to keep the tears stinging at my eyes from going over. I sighed with relief when Artemis kicked the guy in the ribs and he dropped Sam. He stumbled back out of sight, but not quick enough. I saw his hand reach for his belt before he disappeared.

My jaw dropped. _He's armed_, I thought.

I wasn't the only who saw the movement. Sam screamed. "Artemis!"

The boy had his back to her, fighting a different guy who I hadn't seen before. "Sam, I'm kind of busy," he said as he dodged a swing.

"But he's got a gun," Sam stuttered. "What do we do?"

"Wait," came the reply.

I looked at Artemis. "Is he nuts?" I demanded.

"Just a second," he said.

_Okay_, I decided. _You're both nuts._

Sam seemed to be thinking along the same lines. "What?" she demanded.

"I said, wait!" Artemis said. He dodged another strike, then duck low and punched the guy in the stomach. The guy hit the wall, holding his stomach and gasping for air.

"Now run! Now!" he screamed, and grabbed Sam's hand, trying to tug her along. Thank Frond, she didn't resist. They started running.

"He- they-" I stopped, unable to complete a sentence. I took a few deep breaths. "What just happened?"

Thankfully, Artemis didn't seem to be as shocked as I was and had already put the pieces together. "Opal sent people after them," he said, his voice carefully controlled. "That was an ambush."

"Obviously not a very good one," I said.

"I don't think she put a lot of thought into it," Artemis said. "I think the purpose was more to scare us. A demonstration. She's trying to get a message through to us, to show us what she can do."

"And to demonstrate that she won't hesitate to do it," I muttered numbly. A mutter was all i could manage. I was really tired now for some reason, and it took everything I had to stay awake.

Artemis noticed. "Are you okay? You don't look so good."

"Yeah," I muttered. "I'm fine, I think…."

That was when I blacked out.


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

Artemis III

Sam and I took off full speed towards the door. My legs being longer than hers, I ended up dragging her a good percentage of the time.

We made it out of the hotel, and Sam suddenly stopped. "What about Butler? We can't just leave him."

That statement was so incredulous I almost started laughing. Or maybe it was just stress. "Butler can take care of himself," I said.

"Even so, he said not to leave without him," Sam said, crossing her arms. "Are you saying we should disobey his direct orders?"

"Sam, I don't think those rules apply to when we're being chased by that pixie's minions," I said. I was getting more than a little impatient. "Now come on, we need to go before they catch up to us."

"Where are we going to go?" she demanded.

"Easy," I said. "Koboi is sending people after us. She obviously wants us there. We've already for a plan. We're going to Koboi Enterprises."

"That would be a good idea, but our plan involves Butler," Sam said. "We can't do it without him."

"Then we'll have to improvise," I said. "Now seriously, come on. We're wasting time."

She nodded. "Right."

We started running again.

It took us over three hours to reach Koboi Enterprises again, and that was running over half the time. By the time we got there, Sam and I were both gasping for air.

"Sit and relax for a minute," I managed to get out. "Then we'll go in."

She didn't need to be told twice. She collapsed on the ground, and I sat down beside her.

We sat there for a few minutes as we caught our breath. "You okay?" I asked her, once I could talk again.

She nodded. "Yeah. I think I just needed a break."

"Good." I looked at the building and drew in a breath. "Ready?"

"Yeah," she said. "I'm ready. Lets go kick some pixie butt and save Holly and Artemis."

"That's the spirit," I said.

We walked up to the building. "You think it will be unlocked?" she asked.

"One way to find out," I said, and pushed on the door. It didn't open.

Sam rolled her eyes. "Hey, Genius Boy, try pulling the handle." She reached out and tugged at it, and the door opened right away.

"I knew that," I muttered.

She shook her head and rolled her eyes as she held the door open for me. "Okay, do you have any idea where we're going? The last thing we need is to get lost and be discovered by that pixie."

"That's true," I agreed. "If we can find our way back to the main hallway, into that room where Opal found us the last time, I should be able to find the way back to the cell we were in from there."

"Should," Sam said. "Hardly reassuring."

I said nothing. "Come on."

We walked down the hallways, trying to find our way back into that main room. It took us about a hour and many wrong turns, but eventually we did. "Okay," I said. "I can find it from here."

Sam nodded, but didn't say anything. There wasn't really anything to say.

We walked down a few hallways and around a few corners, until I told Sam to stop. We were standing in front of a door. A door to the room I was fairly confident was the room Opal had been using as a cell for us.

I took a deep breath. "I think this is it," I said. Sam nodded. I reached out and tugged on the handle.


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22

Artemis II

As soon as Holly passed out, I was out of my chair, ripping the bonds off that I had been loosening since the guards left the room.

"Holly," I said. I walked over and knelt beside her. I smacked her face lightly trying to wake her up. "Holly." Nothing. "Captain Short." Still nothing, not even the slightest response. I was getting a little frantic now. I untied her hands and turned one so it was palm up, probing for a pulse. Thankfully, I found it. It was steady, though maybe a little weak. I breathed a sigh of relief. She was fine, for right now, at any rate.

I heard the door behind me open. Footsteps, and I was yanked to me feet by a guard. Another grabbed Holly, slinging her over his shoulder.

They led us out into the hallway, back to the room. He took her in and laid her on the cot, and I followed in and sat beside her. The door clicked shut behind him as he left.

I grabbed her limp body and pulled her into my arms. Her head lolled onto my shoulder. I held her tight, pressing her against my chest, so that she was so close I could feel her heart beating.

For a while we laid there like that. She stirred a few times, but didn't wake. The closest thing to waking there got was when her sleep finally lightened and she started mumbling stuff as she slept. Mine and Samantha's names were said quite a few times, but I didn't try to listen because most of it was incomprehensible.

Finally, her eyes flickered open. "Artemis?" she asked, her voice thick with sleep.

"Yeah," I whispered, reaching down to stroke her face. "It's okay. I'm right here."

She nodded and buried her face in my neck. "Do you think they made it out?" she whispered.

"Yes," I said. "I think so."

Then I heard footsteps coming down the hallway. I froze.

The knob turned. But the door didn't open.

"It's locked," a voice said. A voice I recognized.

"Well, no duh, Genius Boy," another voice said. I felt Holly stiffen in my arms. "Maybe you're not as smart as I thought. Try unlocking the door."

"How? It needs a key."

There was a sigh, and then silence for a few seconds. Then the lock clicked, and the door flew open.

Sam and Artemis stood in the door way.

"How did you do that?" Artemis demanded of her.

She held up a little stick. No, not a stick. A hair clip. A bobby pin, to be precise. "I'm a girl," she said to him. "I carry bobby pins. You never know when the might come in handy."

Holly jumped up. "Sam!" She ran to embrace the girl.

The girl hugged her back. "I missed you too, but we really need to go before get caught."

Holly pulled back and nodded. "Right. Lets move out."

We walked down the hallways once again as Artemis led us back up to the main room. There we stopped to access our surroundings. "Anybody know where we go from here?" he asked.

"From here," a voice from behind us said, "You turn around and go back to the cell."

We turned around. The source of the voice, Opal, was standing behind us in the doorway.

"Found it," Sam said in a weak voice.

It was true, the nearest doorway was behind Opal. It led out to the exit that Sam, Artemis, and I had originally came in when were came here searching for Holly.

I stepped forward, Holly moving up beside me. "Opal, you might as well give it up. We're leaving, and you can't stop us."

"Oh really," Opal cackled. "You wouldn't leave Holly, would you? You might have to. After all, carrying her would certainly weigh you down, wouldn't it?"

"Why would I have to carry her?" I demanded.

She offered no answer, instead pulling out a little remote and pressing a red button on the top of it.

Holly collapsed beside me. I knelt beside her. She was breathing deeply, now sound asleep. Despite our efforts to wake her up, she didn't even stir.

Opal was cackling behind us. "Figure it out yet, Fowl?" she asked.

"The syringe," I muttered. "A _subcutaneous sleeper_." I looked at Opal.

She nodded her confirmation. "Very smart, Fowl," she said, clapping her hands in a mocking gesture. She stepped forward and leaned down look over my shoulder at the now sleeping elf. "Should I wake her up?" she mused.

"Do it," I said through gritted teeth.

The pixie smiled mockingly and backed up. She pressed the green button on the remote.

Holly's eyes flew open. I breathed a sigh of relief. "Captain, you're alright."

"What happened?" she demanded, getting to her feet.

I tapped her arm. "Sleeper seeker."

She growled. "D'Arvit! That stupid pixie! I'll kill her!"

"Oh, no you won't," I said, holding her back as she tried to charge Opal. "Don't let her bait you, Holly. That's-"

I was cut off, as that was the time the guards decided to show up, and they charged us.

The fight didn't last very long. We were hopelessly outnumbered. Everyone was overrun before there was barely any damage done.

Opal smiled. "I told you you would end up heading right back towards the cell."

"Opal," I began, but I was cut off by Holly. She elbowed the guard holding her in the stomach, and he buckled. Before anyone could react to her escape, she punched the guard in the face swiftly, knocking him out cold. Then she drew his weapon from its holster on his belt.

While everyone was watching her, I took my opportunity, kicking the guard holding me in the kneecap. I heard a sickening snap and knew instantly that I had broken something. While he was cradling his knee, I snatched his weapon from his belt and turned to the kids.

Holly had already helped them get free, confiscating the weapons from their guards along the way. They each had a weapon in their hands now. I turned to her. "Come on," I said. "We should leave while Opal is distracted."

But Holly shook her head. "No. If we leave her be, she'll come after us again. We have to finish this. Now."

I sighed. "Okay." I turned to the kids. "Go. Outside. Wait for us out there. We'll meet you there in a minute."

"Alright," Artemis said. Her grabbed Samantha's wrist and started tugging her towards the exit. I could tell she was reluctant, but she followed him.

We pushed through the pressing crowd of guards and searched until we found Opal. She was surrounded by a whole crowd of guards.

"Do you want me to do it?" I asked Holly.

She shook her head. "No. I will. My marksmanship is better than yours by a long shot. We don't want to hit anyone else on accident."

I nodded. "Be my guest."

Holly jacked the setting on the neutrino as high as it could go. She aimed briefly, and fired.

Just as a voice on the other side of the room screamed, "Mommy!"

I turned. A little girl was standing on the other side of the room, staring with wide, tear-filled eyes at us.

"We should go," I said to Holly. "Now."

She gave me a look. "Did you know about her?" she asked.

I shook my head. "No, but it doesn't matter. We have to leave her. Come on."

"Artemis-"

"Holly, I'm serious. Lets go. Now." I grabbed her arm and tugged. She sighed, but let me lead her away.

Outside, we walked around the building and found Sam and Artemis. "Okay," I said. "Everybody here?"

"Yeah, and I think every is alive with their limbs intact too," Artemis said.

I ignored the sarcasm in his voice. "Good. Then lets go find the nearest car rental station," I said.


	23. Chapter 23

**This chapter is the one with the suggestive adult theme in it, but as I said in the first author's note, its not descriptive. This one also has one of those unexpected surprises in it too, but I think its explained well enough by Artemis in the story. **

Chapter 23

Holly

We walked for a while until we found a hotel, where we used their phone to contact Butler and tell him that we were safe and to meet us at the manor, and to call a taxi to take us to the nearest car rental station. From there we rented the cheapest car we could find that would fit all of us and headed back to the manor.

When we got there Artemis and Butler, who had beat us there, had to carry the kids in the house because both of them had fell asleep on the trip back to the manor.

Once the kids were asleep Artemis and I met up in the hallway. "Come on," he told me, taking my hand. "You need to get to sleep too."

"But I'm not tired," I protested.

"Mmhmm," he murmured. "Fine, then I'm sure we could find something else to do."

We went up to his room and sat on the bed, playing checkers on his computer for a while. It didn't last very long, though.

"You win again," I sighed after about the fifth round.

He smiled. "You came close this time," he said. "You almost won."

"Almost only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades," I muttered, scowling at the bed.

He laughed softly, and cuffed his hand under my chin and tipped my head up. "Maybe, but I'll still take it," he said. Then he leaned in and pressed his lips lightly to mine.

I leaned into it, and his smile grew bigger agains my lips. I wrapped my arms around his neck and drew him in closer. He kicked the computer backwards out of the way and laid down beside me. He cradled me close, pulling me in as close as possible, his lips now pressing hard into mine. I couldn't breathe, but I didn't care.

He finally pulled back, but not very far. Just parting our lips enough to breathe. He rested his forehead against mine. "Holly," he whispered. "I need to tell you something."

"Can it wait?" I asked.

"No," he said. "It's important."

"What is it then?" I sighed.

"Okay. But promise me you'll hear me out. Make sure you let me finish before you interrupt. Please."

"Why? Is it really that bad?"

"Promise."

"I promise," I sighed.

"Good." He took a deep breath. "Okay, I'm just going to put this out there and get over with."

"Okay."

"Artemis is your kid," he blurted.

My eyes filled with tears. "Artemis, that's a sick joke," I said. I tried to pull back from his embrace, but he held me fast in his arms.

"No, I'm serious," he insisted. "Please, don't be mad. Let me finish."

I said nothing.

"I told you the baby died because I knew you were going to have to leave either way, and I didn't want to make it harder than it needed to be for you. I knew you were already struggling with it."

"No," I said, pulling my arms free and covering my ears. "Stop. Please. I-I can't-"

His hand covered my mouth, and his other hand reached up and gently pried my hand off one of my ears. He leaned in so his lips were about an inch from it. "Please believe me. I'm sorry for lying to you, really. But I felt like I had to. And I was going to tell you, but when you came back it was because you needed help rescuing Samantha, and then you got kidnapped by Opal, and its kind of hard to talk to someone who's nowhere to be found."

"Artemis," I said hesitantly. "Are you really serious? Please, tell me the truth."

He pulled back from my ear, looking into my eyes. "I'm dead serious, Holly. I'm not lying this time, I swear."

I looked into his eyes, and I could tell; he was telling the truth. "Oh, Artemis," I said. I threw my arms back around his neck and started crying into his shoulder.

He stroked my back comfortingly. "I'm sorry, Holly. But it's okay now. It's okay. But can I ask something of you?"

"What?" I asked.

"Don't tell Artemis about this. He thinks his mother is dead, and I think it's better that way. I think it will be easier for him to keep believing that his mother is dead than to have to adjust to her being alive and being here after all this time."

"Okay," I said. "But now it's my turn to ask a question. Who was that girl that Artemis was trying to bring to life a few months ago if it wasn't his mom?"

"That was his stepmom. I was with her when she died, like, with her, with her. Do you get what I mean?"

I nodded. "Yeah. I won't tell Artemis. I promise."

"Thank you," he whispered. Then he leaned in and kissed me again. And I let him.

Needless to say, after that, I let him have his was with me that night, until we finally fell asleep, me still laying in his arms.

**That's the end of History Repeats 2. Should I write a third one? What did you think of the surprises? Please R&R!**


End file.
